Now we know that there is a bigger difference between Milan Lucic and Phil Kessel than just their size, nationality and style of play.

Yesterday Lucic declared his love for Boston while discussing his three-year contract extension. So instead of going through a lot of haggling next summer as a restricted free agent, Lucic now knows he’s going to stay in the only pro city he’s ever known.

General manager Peter Chiarelli really had no choice but to re-sign Lucic once the winger declared he wanted to stay at last spring’s exit meetings. Chiarelli might still think that the lucrative second contracts players are signing are a bit out of whack, but within the system Chiarelli had to take care of Lucic.

“The fact a contract of this nature has been given out is proof a potential lockout is at least on people’s radar these days,” Campbell writes. “After all, there are rumblings the league is making a turf war out of just about everything with the players these days and it’s no secret it wants big changes to things such as no-trade clauses, length of contracts, outrageous second contracts and circumventing the CBA.”

Hope that didn’t ruin your morning.

The fact a contract of this nature has been given out is proof a potential lockout is at least on people’s radar these days. After all, there are rumblings the league is making a turf war out of just about everything with the players these days and it’s no secret it wants big changes to things such as no-trade clauses, length of contracts, outrageous second contracts and circumventing the CBA.